If the movie doesn’t make you cry, the price of a tub of popcorn will; even as moviegoers feel cheated, there’s nothing much they can do.

If you’re planning to take your significant other to watch a movie at a multiplex this Valentine’s Day, chances are you will be spending more on popcorn than on the gifts and chocolate you got for them.

A trip to the food area is likely to set a couple back by Rs 500 or more thanks to the inflated price of popcorn in multiplex food courts. By not allowing moviegoers to carry their own food into the hall, the vendors know they can charge anything and get away with it. There has been an increase in ticket prices at plush multiplexes over the past few years, what with poor turnout of people at the box office and inflation, but what families often fail to take into account is the price of popcorn, often considered a movie staple, which always pinches them more than the cumulative cost of tickets.

Popcorn in major multiplexes in South Mumbai namely PVR Phoenix Lower Parel, Metro Inox, and Inox Laserplex in Nariman Point costs more than Rs 240, depending upon the size of your popcorn. On the other hand, the cost of a single ticket hovers between Rs 200 and Rs 250 on weekdays.

Metro Inox, Marine Lines
When Mirror visited Metro on Monday evening, we found that the cost of a ticket for an evening show of Padman was Rs 200 whereas a tub of popcorn cost Rs 280, that too for the basic salted variety. Caramel and cheese flavours cost an extra Rs 50, at least.

PVR, Lower Parel
A visit to PVR Cinema in Lower Parel revealed that a ticket for an evening show of Aapla Manus, a Marathi movie starring Nana Patekar, cost Rs 250 whereas a regular-sized popcorn cost Rs 240 and the large-sized popcorn Rs 310. “It is quite expensive but people don’t question it and end up shelling out whatever is quoted,” said Vandana Vapna , a Tardeo resident and a scientist, who had come to see Aapla Manus with her mother and her aunt.
“It is unreasonable and frankly not worth it but you cannot help but buy popcorn as it gets difficult to say no to kids,” said Vapna, who otherwise prefers staying at home and watching a movie with her family and gorging on home-cooked food.

Inox, Nariman Point
At Nariman Point, Mumbai’s prime office area, Inox’s branch in CR2 mall is not far behind. The multiplex was running a scheme wherein it had priced the ticket at a special rate of Rs 210 for Monday and Tuesday. However, the price of a single tub of popcorn remained unchanged at Rs 300.

PVR, Oberoi Mall, Goregaon
Sarjana Singh, who works with a web portal, said that she bought a small popcorn and an aerated drink which cost her more than the ticket when she went for a screening of Phantom Thread at PVR Oberoi last week. “It is not cheap at all, the cost was around Rs 480 and it was nearly double the amount I paid for the ticket,” said Singh, who is from Kanpur and lives in a rented apartment. She said that it is not necessary to buy popcorn, but Bollywood movies are long and one would want something to munch on.
“It is not reasonable. If they’re charging extra for their service and because it is in a mall, it is still ridiculously high. Half the time I reach a theatre straight from work and am hungry, and you cannot carry outside food which makes it even more difficult and you end up buying overpriced stuff.”

Inox, Inorbit, Malad
Inox Inorbit sets the price of its ticket at around Rs 190 on a weekday but the price of popcorn is pegged at Rs 210 and coupled with a large Pepsi, the total cost for an individual will be Rs 440.

Expert says
Rahul Parchure, an assistant professor at the Ramanath Payyade College of Hospitality Management Studies, Kurla, said a lot of factors go into pricing. “When you run a business, you have to pay some commission to those who run the mall,” he said. He said hygiene standards are also a factor in the pricing.

Mirror reached out to PVR and Inox for comment but they did not respond till the time of going to press.

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